Winners of Sussex coaching awards announced

Charlotte Burton, Chris Fox, Tom Hutchinson and Oliver Sebire-Harris have been named as Sussex’s winners of the ECB annual coaching awards. The awards in four categories recognise the contribution of the winners to coaching in the county.

Sussex Coach of the Year, Tom Hutchinson, is recognised for his work with the boys’ U13 team at Preston Nomads CC. Tom has prioritised enjoyment and inclusion, fostering a love of the game among the boys he coaches. He has also successfully engaged many parents to assist with the running of the side. This summer, his team won the County Cup and reached the final of the League Cup while remaining loyal to Tom’s philosophy of giving as many people as possible the chance to enjoy cricket in a pressure-free environment.

Oliver Sebire-Harris of Hurstpierpoint CC has been named Sussex Young Coach of the Year. At just 16 years’ old, Oliver has already been coaching for 18 months and completed the Young Leaders in Cricket course. He coaches multiple age groups at his club, umpires and scores softball matches for U9s and U10s and still finds time to play himself, all while studying for his GCSEs. Oliver has already signed up to take his formal support coach qualifications and has ear-marked the Foundation Level One coache’s course next year when he’ll be old enough.

The winner of the Outstanding Contribution Award for Services to Coaching in Sussex is Charlotte Burton. During her 18 years working at Sussex Cricket, Charlotte has transformed women’s and girls’ cricket in the county. She is responsible for implementing the structure of the female game in Sussex and developing a player pathway that has produced so many quality cricketers over the years. Her commitment and passion for growing women’s and girls’ cricket remains as strong today as it did when she started coaching over two decades ago and she continues to don her tracksuit and run inspiring sessions for beginners and elite players alike.

Chris Fox has won the Outstanding Contribution Award for Services to Coach Development in Sussex. Over at least 20 years, Chris has been a stalwart of coach education in the county, helping develop countless coaches with his commitment, passion and unrivalled expertise. As Chairman of the Sussex Coaching Association, he has been instrumental in relaunching and revitalising the countywide coach education programme. He has ensured quality face-to-face courses but also instigating online delivery which has proved invaluable over the past 18 months.

As county winners, Tom, Charlotte and Chris have all been shortlisted for the national awards and will attend a presentation ceremony on Saturday 27th November.

Meanwhile, Oliver will join the other county Young Coach of the Year Award winners at a masterclass at the National Cricket Centre in Loughborough run by elite coaches.

Sussex Cricket's Community Director, Gary Wallis-Tayler said: “I would like to congratulate all of our Sussex winners for their incredible contribution to recreational cricket in Sussex. Charlotte, Chris, Oliver & Tom all show huge passion, drive and commitment to inspiring the next generation of cricketers and coaches in Sussex and we are all very proud of their achievements. I wish all of our winners the very best of luck at the national awards later this month, where we hope they are all recognised nationally.”

Matt Parsons, a Territory Manager and resposnsible for coach education at Sussex Cricket, added: "Coach education continues to play an intergal part in all our clubs' development. This opportunity to celebrate some of those making a real difference within their clubs and wider communities is an important part of recognising all the great work being done across Sussex. There is of course a huge number of valued volunteers across Sussex who all deserve recognition, but for those winning our county awards this year, we all wish you the very best at the national awards evening."

Everyone at Sussex Cricket would like to congratulate Tom, Charlotte, Chris and Oliver for their achievement and thank them for their incredible service to the game in our county.